Choices From the Past
by SolasNightThorn
Summary: After the failed mission at the Valley of the End, Naruto realizes that Sakura never cared about him. And as such he moves on and starts dating Ino. However after his three year mission with Jiraiya, he returns to Konoha to find that Ino is now with Shikamaru. The betrayal changes everything. NO FLAMERS!
1. Prologue

**Welcome one and all to my new Naruto drama. This is going to be a new Naruto. Please enjoy. As always please read and review.**

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><p><strong><span>Key:<span>**

~"Normal Speech"~

~_'Thoughts'_~

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. Anyone, who isn't Masashi Kishimoto, that thinks they do own it is an idiot. Bakas!

**Warning: This fic is Rated M FOR A REASON!**

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><p>~ <span>Choices from the Past<span>~

~Prologue~

Sakura Haruno paced back and forth in front of the gate to the Hidden Leaf Village. She awaited the return of her sensei and teammates. After what seemed like an eternity the young kunoichi spotted her sensei walking towards the gate with someone draped over his back. Rushing over to Kakashi shouting.

"Kakashi-sensei! Is that Sasuke-kun?! Is he ok?! Where is he?!"

Sighing the jonin looked down at his student before shaking his head. "I'm sorry Sakura, Sasuke got away. Naruto couldn't beat him."

Furious Sakura glared at her teacher. "Why did they let the Baka fight him alone?!"

"Naruto was the only one left, the rest of his team was engaged in combat. He fought nearly to death."

"I don't care if he nearly died! He didn't bring my Sasuke-kun back to me like he promised. I don't even want to see him. Goodbye Kakashi-sensei." With that the pink haired girl turned and walked away. However unbeknownst to either of them, Naruto had woken up right as Sakura said she didn't care if he died. In that moment Naruto realized that Sakura had never cared about him, to her he was nothing but a tool to get Sasuke back. He decided that he was done chasing Sakura, he would find someone else hopefully.

Three days later Naruto woke in the hospital and through bleary eyes looked to the side of the bed and saw, to his surprise, Ino Yamanaka sitting at his bedside.

"Ino-san, is that you?"

"Hi there Naruto-kun. How are you feeling?"

"Alright. Now Ino-san please don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?"

Ino smiled. "It's ok Naruto-kun. Well since Sakura doesn't seem to care anymore and Hinata is too shy to come. I figured I should at least be here. Besides I kinda wanted to see you alone, cuz well... I like you."

Confused Naruto shook his head to clear the cobwebs. After sitting up he looked at the girl before asking a very simple question. "What Ino-san?"

Sighing Ino moved to his bed and sat right next to him. "Naruto-kun I like you. As in I want to date you and be with you." And before he could answer she leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. And after his brain processed what had happened, he and Ino began talking and soon found a deep mutual attraction. From that day on the pair was inseparable, well until the day came that Naruto was told by his mentor Jiraiya, that he and the Sannin would be leaving for a three year training trip. On the day that they were to leave Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi and Iruka were waiting by the gate for the blonde. After about a half hour Kakashi noticed that Naruto was walking towards the gate hand in hand with Ino. And after a long and teary farewell the blonde's parted and Naruto walked off with his mentor, and would not be seen again for three years.


	2. The Return

**Now I know that the prologue was a bit short but this chapter is quite longer. So enjoy.**

**As always please Read and Review.**

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><p>~<span>The Return<span>~

Sunlight filtered thru the bedroom window of Sakura Haruno, as the light fell across her sleeping face she blinked a few times before fully waking. Sitting upright the pink haired girl stretched her arms upward before sliding out of bed. Walking towards her door she glanced at her calendar and smiled at what was marked on that day. Today was the day that her long time teammate Naruto was to return from his three year long trip with his mentor. Quickly showering and getting dressed Sakura headed out into town. She had requested this day off months in advance as to ensure that she was free when he did return. Long ago she had realized that her thoughts about the blonde and how he was never to blame for anything.

Around mid-day Sakura was walking around the eastern part of the village when she noticed someone standing on the top of a power line post. As she approached she saw the hair and knew it was him. Running over she shouted.

"Naruto! Is that you?"

Hearing someone calling to him Naruto turned towards the voice and looked down. Seeing that it the person calling to him was his former teammate Sakura he sighed before leaping down.

"Hello Sakura-san. How have you been?" Naruto asked with a despondent expression. His words showed the old Naruto, but the way he said them showed that he still felt the effects of her words.

"Naruto, I've been ok. But I... Naruto I'm so sorry for what I said. After you left Kakashi-sensei told me that you were awake when you came back after fighting Sasuke-kun. I said so many awful things, but I never meant them! I was angry and disappointed that I didn't have Sasuke-kun back. And cause you made that promise before you left I blamed you for it. Naruto I am so so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?" Looking into his eyes for any sign of how he felt. His response surprised her.

"Sakura, I forgave you a long time ago. I forgave you at the exact same moment I realized that you never truly cared about me. And please do not try to lie and say you do care. I understood that you only saw me as a tool to get that traitor back." As Naruto was speaking, Shikamaru and Ino were turning the corner and Shikamaru spotted the blonde. He quickly tried to change their direction but it was too late. Naruto spotted them and saw Ino wrapped around his arm.

Ino was unsure who she was looking at as the two blonde's eyes met, but when she saw the man's shimmering cerulean eyes shatter like two fragile glass orbs, she knew exactly who he was. Sakura watched in horror as it all played out. Tears began to form in Naruto's eyes and just as it appeared that the dam was about to break he closed his eyes. Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru watched in terrified anticipation, waiting to see his reaction. When he opened his eyes what they was nothing what they expected. Ino expected tears, Shikamaru expected fiery rage, and Sakura feared seeing the terrifying eyes of the Kyuubi. But instead of any of these things his eyes were two frozen glaciers, and surprisingly enough, that were scarier that any of the other options.

Without a word Naruto began walking towards the couple. Shikamaru stepped in front of Ino fearing that the blonde might try and attack her. But he simply walked past them, but not before glancing at them. The look they saw in his eyes was not one of hate or anger, his eyes said that they did not matter. That he was beyond them. His eyes were not the eyes of the Naruto they had grown up with, or even any version of Naruto they knew existed. After the split second glance, the blonde continued walking away. He reached the corner, turned and disappeared from view. After a moment Sakura ran to the corner and looked for him but she couldn't find him. She sighed and looked back at the couple. All three feared for what may happen.

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><p>After he turned the corner, Naruto leapt to the roof and was soon across town. His mind was racing but quickly came to a calm. He quickly made a plan. Step one; change his appearance. Step two; become stronger. Simple, with that he headed towards the shopping district of the village, intent on completing the first step of his plan. Walking past a few stores he finally walked into a store that had both civilian and shinobi clothing. Wandering around for a short time he finally decided on a form fitting black v-neck tee shirt with the Konoha crest embroidered in red on the left breast, along with a pair of grey standard issue shinobi pants that hung to about mid-calf. In addition to that he kept his black ninja sandals and his black cloth Hitai-ate.<p>

Now while he wanted to make himself more obscure, part of him would always want to stand out. So after searching the store for a few minutes he found a dark red overcoat with a black inseam. Satisfied with his choices, he picked out several sets of the shirt and pants and carried his items to the counter. The clerk looked up and started to tell the blonde to get out of his store, but when his eyes met Naruto's, his words caught in his throat. He quickly rang up his items and told him the blonde his total. Wordlessly Naruto paid the man and left.

Quickly leaping across the rooftops he returned to his rundown apartment. Gathering up his old clothes, he quickly striped out his orange and black jumpsuit and tossed it on the pile with the rest of his old clothes. Hanging his new clothes in his closet he headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower. After drying off he walked into his bedroom where he slid his legs into his new shinobi pants and pulled one of his new shirts over his head. After quickly wrapping his thigh he clipped his kunai holster over the wrapping. Hanging his tool pouch from his waist he reached into his shirt to pull the necklace, Tsunade had given him, out from under his shirt. Walking over to his dresser he grabbed his Hitai-ate, holding it in his hand he stared down at the present his first teacher had given him. Sighing he lifted it up and tied it around his forehead, grabbing his new jacket he walked to his door. Slipping his feet into his sandals he opened the door before stepping out on the walkway. Sliding one arm into his new coat, as he slid his other arm into the jacket he stepped out into the sunlight and it felt as if a hundred pound weight lifted from his shoulders. With step one of his plan complete he headed for the Hokage tower in hopes of starting on part two of his plan.

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><p>Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru stood in awe of what they had just seen, none of them able to speak. Suddenly Naruto's mentor Jiraiya dropped down from the rooftops.<p>

"Hey kids! Was Naruto just here?"

Turning towards the sannin Sakura spoke.

"Jiraiya-sama. Yes Naruto was here, but he just ran off."

Sighing Jiraiya reached up and scratched the back of his head. "Oh well. I felt a huge spike in his Killer Intent and rushed over. What happened?"

"Well you remember how when you two left, Naruto was dating Ino here?" Sakura gestured to the platinum blonde with her thumb. The old man nodded and Sakura continued. "Well while you were gone, she left him and started dating the lazy looking one over there. However before anyone could say anything to him, Naruto saw them walking together and he looked like he was gonna cry, but then his eyes looked like they froze over and then he walked away. But when he looked at them I felt this intense feeling of sadness and pain. But it was only for a second."

"I see. Well Ino?" The blonde looked over at one of the most legendary shinobi in the world. "You my dear girl are as stupid as your hair is long. You will never find a man as caring or devoted as my student. However, he has always believed in those you crossed him, even that Uchiha boy and I've sensed some serious anger towards that one, but the spike I felt was unlike anything I have ever felt before. You've hurt him in a way that no one has ever done before. I don't know, but you may have broken him."

"No way!" Shikamaru shouted, speaking for the first time. "My Ino-kun isn't that kind of person. Besides I think Naruto was more into his relationship with her than she was. Besides he left for three years, what did he expect her to do? Wait for him? For three years?"

"Yes." Everyone turned to look at Ino surprised that she had spoken. "He and I were both in just as deep. And I did tell him that I would wait for him, you were there Jiraiya-sama. I loved him with everything I had and he loved me. So it's no surprise he took this that badly. But I should have-" She suddenly broke down crying. "I'm sorry I have to go." and without another word she took off running and was soon completely out of sight. Shikamaru glared at both Sakura and Jiraiya before walking away.

Jiraiya looked at the pinkette. "I think we should go talk to the Hokage, before Naruto gets the chance. Let's go!"

"Hai Jiraiya-sama." Nodding the pair leapt to the rooftops and headed for the Hokage tower as quickly as they could. But not quite fast enough.

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><p>Naruto dropped to the ground in front of the door to the Hokage tower and walked inside and headed straight up to Tsunade's office. As he approached the desk outside the office Shizune looked up to see a shinobi she didn't recognize. She greeted the man.<p>

"Hello there. How can I help you?"

"Hello Shizune-chan. How have you been?"

Looking at the man confused. "I'm sorry but do I know you?" Right as she asked she saw the whisker marks. "Naruto-kun? Is that you?"

"Yes it is. Is the Hokage in?"

"She is. I'll let her know you're here." The blonde nodded and a few seconds later Shizune nodded and he walked into the office. Stopping in front of the desk he bowed.

"Hokage-sama."

"Naruto, what happened to you?"

"I decided that it was time for me to move on in life."

"Ok? So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I would like to request a suspension from active missions so I may train for the upcoming Chunin Exams."

_'The Exams! How could I forget? I had best get on that.'_ The Hokage looked at the young man with a somewhat confused look. "Why would you want to take time to train? Didn't you just get back from you time with Jiraiya-san?"

"I did. But I feel that I could be stronger."

"Why? You spent three years with him."

"Yeah three years of learning how to suppress the Kyuubi. Hell the only useful techniques I know are Kage Bushin, Kuchiyose, and the Rasengan. And I am supposed to stand against the Uchiha and the Akatsuki? It would be easier to just slit my own throat." Tsunade stared at the young blonde, her mind unable to wrap itself around the fact that her former teammate had done nothing in three years to make Naruto a better shinobi.

"Naruto, I am so sorry. Of course your request is approved. Your name will be removed from the active duty list for the next three weeks in order to prepare for the chunin exams held the end of the month. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you in action." Naruto bowed to her.

"Arigato Hokage-sama." And with another bow he turned causing his new coat flare up and walked out the door. Leaving the Hokage sitting there confused at who she had just seen.

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><p>Sakura and Jiraiya ran thru the halls of the Hokage tower. As they neared the Hokage's office they rushed past a blonde shinobi wearing a red overcoat. Ignoring Shzune's calls to the them, the pair burst into the Hokage's office startling the blonde.<p>

"Oh Kami! You two better have a good reason for bursting in here and scaring me half to death!"

"Tsunade-hime, Naruto and I just got back to the village today. and well before we came here he wanted to find his girlfriend Ino. But he soon found out that she left him for her teammate Shikamaru. and it broke him, plain and simple."

"I have just seen Naruto. and I don't it broke him, just broke that mask of eternal happy he wears."

Sakura interjected. "Wait Naruto was just here? Did he leave thru the window? We didn't pass him in the hallway."

"That's probably because you were looking for a kid wearing 'kill-me' orange. The Naruto I just spoke with was dressed like a shinobi. So you probably walked right past him in the hall but didn't recognize him." Sakura and Jiraiya looked at each other thinking of who they walked passed on their way to the office, at the same time they thought of the blonde shinobi in the red coat and their eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

"You mean that man in the red coat?"

"Yep that was him."

"Kami I thought that was some jonin back from a long mission."

"Like I said. This didn't break him, it made him better. He actually came here to request time off to train for the chunin exams at the end of the month. Speaking of that, Sakura, could I speak to Jiraiya alone?"

"Hai Sheiso." With a bow Sakura left the office, in hopes of finding Naruto.

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><p>Tsunade sat in her chair and locked her former teammate in a stare that could make the snake sanin shiver.<p>

"So... uh... Tsunade-hime... what did you want to talk about?"

"Naruto gave me a report on your three year trip."

"Oh well then you must know how awesome of a sensei I am."

"Actually I'd call you a failure as a sensei."

"Wha-"

"Three years! You had three years to get him ready to face the Akatsuki! Instead you wasted it on the off chance he could learn to controll the Kyuubi! You are one of the three strongest ninja in the world. You could have made him one of us! Now he had to come request time off to train for an exam he should have been able to pass in his sleep! So yes you are a failure as a sensei!"

"Oh so he told you."

"Yes he did! I can't even look at you. Get out!"

"Ok Tsunade-hime." With that the toad sanin left the office realizing he had failed.

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><p>Sakura could be seen running thru the streets of the village asking everyone if they had seen a blonde shinobi wearing a red coat. Some had seen him and pointed in his direction, most hadn't and just shrugged when she asked. Following the general directions she eventually arrived outside the Konoha library just in time to see the new Naruto walking out with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a bag of books over his shoulder.<p>

"Naruto, hold up!" As she ran over he looked over with a bored expression on his face.

"Hi there Sakura-san. What's up?"

"I was looking for you. We passed in the hall before and you didn't say hello. You look... different."

"I know. I realized it was time for a change, orange just made me a target. Now I'm sorry but I have three weeks to get ready for the chunin exams and I can't waste any time. I'll see you around Sakura-san." With a nod he leapt to the rooftops and headed for his apartment. Sighing Sakura watched as he leapt away, her mind trying to wrap itself around what happened to her teammate.

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><p><strong>Well there you go. Next time we see more of Naruto's training and we'll learn some more about his relationship with Ino.<strong>


	3. The Changes

**Alrighty! Welcome one and all to the next installment of Choices from The Past. This chapter has some big events in it so lets get to it!**

**As always please R&R.**

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><p>~<span>The Changes<span>~

Naruto walked into his apartment hanging his jacket on the peg next to the door. Placing his books on the table he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a water out of his fridge before sitting down and pulling the books out and looking at the titles making sure he had everything.

"Chakra Control for Those with Larger than Normal Chakra Pools"

"An Introduction to Chakra Natures. 2nd Ed."

"Training for Older Genin."

"Basics of Nature Manipulation. 4th Ed."

"Chunin Selection Exams: A History"

"Standard Ninja Arts. Abr. 5th Ed."

"Kenjutsu Basics. 9th Ed."

He also he borrowed a selection of varrious jutsu scrolls. Looking over his choices, the blonde decided to crack open "Training for Older Genin." He began reading and would continue well into the night.

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><p>~<span>Three Weeks Later<span>~

A shirtless Naruto stood in a clearing panting, as the last clone vanished in a puff of smoke. Standing upright, he had allowed himself to break into a real smile for one of the first times. The exercise he had just completed was the final one in his Chakra Control book. The final exercise consisted of three levels with three tiers each. The first level involved fighting 25 kage bushins for 15, 30, and finally 60 minutes. Level two ups the number of bushin from 25 to 50, though the time stays the same. The final level takes the number of bushin to 100, and increases the times to 30, 60, and 120 minutes.

Walking to the edge of the clearing Naruto picked up a water bottle before plopping down with his back against a tree. Leaning his head back closing his eyes he let his senses spread out around him. Just as he was beginning to really relax, his senses picked up a chakra signature he didn't recognize moving through the trees. Jumping to his feet he pulled a kunai from his holster flinging it to intercept the signature. But to his surprise the telltale sound of metal on metal could be heard, his answer came in the form of a young girl appearing in the trees holding a short sword in her right hand and his kunai in the other.

She stands about 158 cm tall, with long auburn hair held up in a high ponytail with two bangs framing the top portion of her face, and bright emerald green eyes. Around her forehead was her Hitai-ate, tied with black cloth, the plate was engraved with four diamonds; a large one towards the bottom, a small one near the top, and two mid-sized ones in between. She wore a deep green leather vest trimmed in brown with a single short grey sleeve that covered the upper part of her arm. Strapped over her right shoulder was the sheathe for her sword. Around her waist was a simple light green skirt trimmed in tan with a simple strap over her left hip. Her left elbow and right forearm were wrapped in bandages, the only adornment was a black leather bracelet with simple studs, she wore it on her right wrist. Her right shin was covered in fishnet and her feet were covered by a pair of basic black ninja sandals. But the part about her that drew Naruto's attention was the tribal tattoo that wound its way up her right arm from her elbow all the way to her neck.

As the pair locked eyes Naruto was the first to speak. "Hello there."

"Hi. I assume that this is yours?" She held up the kunai.

"Hehe, yeah it is."

"May I ask why you threw it at me?"

"I'll answer that with a question of my own. You are clearly not from this village, may I ask why you are here."

"Simple, the exams. I am the only genin in my village that was chosen to compete."

"I see, may I ask your name?"

"Only if I can get yours."

"Of course, I am Naruto Uzumaki."

"My name is Kogoe Hayashi."

"What village do you come from? I don't recognize your Hitai-ate."

"I'm from Chirigakure, the Hidden Dust."

"I'm from Konoha. So Kogoe, can I have my kunai back?"

"Sure." Leaping down, she slid her sword back into its sheathe. Walking over to the blonde she handed him the kunai, which quickly disappeared back into his holster. It was only after that, that Kogoe realized that Naruto was shirtless. Before she could stop herself, she began blushing fiercely and quickly turned away. "Um, Naruto-san?"

"Yeah Kogoe?"

"Could you please put a shirt on?"

"Oh! Yeah sure." The blonde quickly picked up his black t-shirt and pulled it over his head. "It's ok Kogoe-chan you can turn around again." The girl turned back and took him in. Even with his shirt on she couldn't help but blush slightly.

"Well as nice as it has been meeting you Naruto-san, I need to go and register for the exams. I'll see you later."

"Goodbye Kogoe-chan. I'll see you later." After their goodbyes Kogoe leapt into the trees and disappeared. Deciding that he had done enough training he decided to go grab a bite to eat and hit the hay.

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><p>~<span>The next Day<span>~

Naruto felt the sun's rays hitting his face as his alarm blared on the table. Reaching over he shut it off and stood up. Stretching up he glanced over at the calendar he smiled at the date, today was the first day of the Chunin Exams. After stretching and doing some push-ups, the blonde hopped in the shower. After his shower he got dressed and fixed a simple breakfast. As he was eating a knock came from his door, opening it up he was greeted by a female ANBU wearing a cat mask.

"Hello there Yūgao-san. How have you been?"

"I've been alright Naruto-kun. The Hokage would like to see you. Please report to the roof of the Hokage tower." With that she moved to leave but turned back. "Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah Yūgao-san?"

"Good luck. I'll be watching for you in the finals."

"Thanks Yūgao-san." and with a nod the purple haired ANBU vanished in a shunshin. Closing the door Naruto walked over and finished his breakfast. Putting his dishes away he grabbed he coat slipping his feet into his sandals before locking his door and leaping towards the tower.

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><p>Arriving at the top of the tower, Naruto was surprised to see a group of ninja from several different villages, including Kogoe. Seeing that he had arrived Tsunade spoke.<p>

"Now that everyone is here I'd like to thank you all for coming. Each of you is here because you are going to be participating in the Chunin Selection Exams, however as some you may know, here in Konoha the first two parts of the exams are proctored in teams of three. So in order to make sure of that, each of you will be paired with two other participants, by drawing one of these cards." Tsunade held up a stack of cards. "Now these cards are special. Once each of has one, I will instruct you to channel chakra into the cards. The cards will analyze your abilities and match you two other competitors that will balance each other out. Now the cards will not divulge your abilities, once your cards have chosen your teammates a number will appear on the card. I will tell you more once that is done. Now would everyone please step forward and take a card." With that each genin stepped up and took a card. "Now everyone channel your chakra now." For a few seconds a slight increase in chakra, to those sensitive to differences in chakra levels, it was plain who had good chakra control and who didn't. "Alright now onto the teams, 1..." After a few minutes she called out "6?" With that Naruto stepped forward and to his surprise Kogoe stepped up along with another Leaf shinobi. Soon all the teams were completed and the Hokage dismissed all. Naruto turned to his new teammates.

"Meet me at the center square in 15 minutes. We should get to know each other."

"Hai!" The pair nodded and leapt down into the village.

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><p>Arriving at the center square, Naruto saw the other two silently standing apart from each other. Walking over he waved to get their attention.<p>

"Alright follow me." With a nod Naruto took off in the direction of the forest with the other two following. After a short while the three descended into the same clearing that Naruto and Kogoe met the day before.

"Alright why don't we introduce ourselves. I'll go first. I am Naruto Uzumaki, I'm 16 from Konoha. My sensei is Jiraiya. I have a primary affinity to Fūton and a secondary affinity to Suiton. and this is my second attempt at the Chunin Exams. Next?"

Kogoe stepped forward. "Alright my name is Kogoe Hayashi, I'm 16 from Chirigakure. I don't have a sensei. I have a primary affinity to Raiton and a secondary affinity to Doton. This is my first attempt at the exams."

As she finished she turned to the third member of their team. As he stepped forward Naruto and Kogoe took in his appearance. He stood 144 cm tall with grey hair with one bright blue bang in front of face, and bright blue eyes. He wore a kimono style top with only a right sleeve, the right side is a white color with a deep red flame motif on the cuff and on the left ribs, the left side is the same red color as the flames. His Hitai-ate plate was affixed to the shoulder of the right sleeve. His left arm was wrapped in bandages from mid-bicep all the way down to his fingertips. His arm was also wrapped in red fabric that is tied off at the wrist. He wore a pair of black shorts with his kunai holster on his right thigh, clipped on over some bandages. On his feet were a pair of standard blue ninja sandals.

"Ok. My name is Yakedo Subayai, I'm 13 from Konoha. My sensei is Hamaki Mimura. My chakra affinity is Katon. and this is my first attempt at the exams." Naruto nodded.

"Alright since we are going to be fighting together we should probably share any special skills we have. I have enormous chakra pools and thus I am able to use the Kinjutsu, Kage Bushin no Jutsu in abundance. I also am the inheritor of the Fourth Hokage's hidden jutsu, the Rasengan. Kogoe?"

"Ok, I have advanced survival skills, as have been living on my own since I was born." She reached up over her shoulder and drew her sword out. "I also have a mastery of kenjutsu, and my primary weapon is my kodachi. Yakedo?"

"Well I really only have one special skill and that is my Kekkei Genkai; Moukaton, Inferno Style. It is a advanced fire style."

"Well that's interesting Yakedo, I've never heard of Moukaton. Could you give us a demonstration?"

"Sure Naruto." Stepping forward Yakedo shook out his hands before flashing thru a series of hand seals faster than most genin should be able to. Finishing on the tiger seal a large flaming magic circle appeared on the ground under his feet. He pulled his hands back into chambered possition, before thrusting them up and shouting.

"_Moukaton: Iraira Kanketsusen no Jutsu!_ (Inferno Style: Raging Geyser Jutsu)" Suddenly a very intense column of flame shot out of the ground surrounding Yakedo. After a few seconds the fire dissipated, leaving Yakedo surprisingly untouched. Kogoe jumped up.

"Yakedo! How are you, like you know, not on fire?"

"It's part of the specialty of Moukaton. My family is immune to any form of fire, and the damage it would cause."

"That is impressive. Now since I've taken the exams before I'm gonna go over the different parts of the exam. The first part is the written exam, now the exam isn't about knowing the information, it is actually about collecting information. It'll make more sense once we get there. Now if you feel like you aren't able to collect the info, just ignore the first nine questions. When we reach the final question just do as I do. Got it?" The other two nodded. "Now the second exam is a team mission. We will be in a forest and we will have either a heaven or an earth scroll. Our objective is to collect the other scroll from one of the other teams and make it to a tower in the middle of the forest, we have five days to complete this."

"The finals are a tournament of one on one fights to determine who is worthy of being a chunin. Now these fights take place a month from the end of the second exam. This is because the finals are a big deal for a lot of high-profile individuals. The month is also to train and fix anything that might be off before the finals. Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting hungry, anyone wanna grab some lunch?" The other two nodded and the team headed back into town.

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><p>~<span>Three Hours Later<span>~

Yakedo walked over Kogoe, who was cleaning her fingernails with a senbon. As the young leaf-nin approached her, Kogoe stood up from the wall she was leaning on.

"Sup Yakedo-san?"

"Hey Kogoe-san, I can't find Naruto-san anywhere. After we left the ramen stand he just kind of vanished. He never told us where to meet tomorrow before the test. We gotta find him."

Walking over to him, Kogoe put her hand on his shoulder. "Relax, I'll find him. Just wait here. We'll be back." With a smile she leapt to the rooftops, and soon arrived outside Ichiraku Ramen. Kneeling down she examined his footprints in the dirt. A lifetime of hunting and tracking through the dustlands around her home village, had made Kogoe a master tracker. So all it took was looking at the subtle variations in the way the dirt had mounded around his footprints, for her to determine what direction the blonde had leapt. Following the trail she arrived on top of the Hokage monument and was approaching the fourth's head when she heard a guitar strumming. Settling down by some bushes she began to hear Naruto's voice.

* * *

><p><em>"She just walked away<br>Why didn't she tell me  
>And where do I go tonight<br>This isn't happening to me  
>This can't be happening to me<br>She didn't say a word  
>Just walked away<em>

You were the first to say  
>That we were not okay<br>You were the first to lie  
>When we were not alright<br>This was my first love  
>She was the first to go<br>And when she left me for you  
>I was the last to know<p>

Why didn't she tell me  
>Where to go tonight<br>She didn't say a word  
>She just walked away<p>

You were the first to say  
>That we were not okay<br>You were the first to lie  
>When we were not alright<br>This was my first love  
>She was the first to go<br>And when she left me for you  
>I was the last to know..."<p>

Listening to the song Kogoe was on the verge of tears when she heard the tempo start to increase, as Naruto began an impressive Guitar solo. After a little bit he began singing again.

_"_ _I'll be the first to say  
>That now I'm okay<br>And for the first time  
>I've opened up my eyes<br>This was my worst love  
>You'll be the first to go<br>And when she leaves you for dead  
>You'll be the last to know<em>

I'll be the first to say  
>That now I'm okay<br>And for the first time  
>I've opened up my eyes<br>This was my worst love  
>You'll be the first to go<br>And when she leaves you for dead  
>You'll be the last to knooooow."<p>

* * *

><p>The blonde was silent for some time before he spoke. "I know you're there Kogoe-chan. You can come out." Surprised Kogoe walked out to the front of the monument.<p>

"That was beautiful Naruto-san. You have an amazing voice. If I may ask, who was that song for?"

"Thank you, and yes you can. That song was written for my ex-girlfriend Ino."

"What happened?"

"Well long story short, we started dating after this one mission three years ago. But then I left for a training mission with my sensei, which before we left Ino and I made a promise to each other to always stay true to each other and wait to be together again when I returned. But when I came back about a month ago, I found out she was dating her long-term teammate. A guy who I thought was my friend, and a guy she always said was more like a brother to her. So a few days later I was thinking about it and decided to write a song about it."

"What is the song's title?"

"_Last to Know_. I feel it fits perfectly because I was the last to know, apparently everyone here knew over a year ago."

"Well Naruto-kun, I think you are very strong for how you handled it. and I would love to hear you sing again." Smiling as she used the 'kun' honorific for the first time Naruto stood up.

"Maybe another time Kogoe-chan. I need some sleep before tomorrow's test."

"That's right the test. Yakedo wanted to know where we should meet tomorrow."

"Let's meet in the clearing. See you tomorrow Kogoe-chan." With a smile and a nod, the blonde vanished. Leaving Kogoe to wonder why there weren't guys like him in Chirigakure. Sighing she leapt back into town to let their teammate know where to meet, before heading to the hotel she was staying at to get some much needed rest.

* * *

><p><strong>Welp there you have it. We've had the introduction of two OC's. The debut of Naruto's musical talent. and the lead into the exams.<strong>

**Alright just a note to all my adorable little flammers. To those who keep complaining about my characters being OOC, if you want them in character, READ THE CANNON! People write fanfiction to write the characters in a way they like, not the way that Kishimoto wrote them. End of rant.**

* * *

><p>Song List:<p>

"Last to Know" ~ Three Days Grace (Life Starts Now)


	4. The First Exam

Welcome everyone to the newest chapter of Choices. Sorry for the delay on this.

* * *

><p>~<span>The First Exam<span>~

Kogoe checked her appearance in the mirror for the seventh time this morning. She wasn't quite sure why, but every time she went to leave her hotel room, something in the back of her head told her she didn't look perfect. Which is completely strange since she never cares about her appearance all that much. Finally sure that she looked good, Kogoe left her hotel room and leapt across the village towards the forest. Arriving at the clearing she found Yakedo pacing back and forth like a ball of nerves. Walking over to the young genin.

"Hey there Yakedo-san, are you alright?"

"Oh Kogoe-san, glad you're here. Naruto-san is late, we can't take the exam without him. I'm worried."

"Relax Yakedo-san, I checked the times. The exam starts an hour from now, I think he told us to be here at this time in case one of us was late."

"Oh ok, I bet you are right. Now I feel terrible for doubting him. He has taken the exam before."

"Hey just because I've taken the exams, doesn't mean I know any more than you do." Kogoe and Yakedo turned as they heard their teammate's voice. The only difference about the blonde's appearance was that he had rolled the sleeves of his jacket up past his elbows. Kogoe immediately perked up.

"Hi Naruto-kun, ready for the exam?" Smiling as she walked over. The blonde nodded and motioned for the two to follow him. The trio leapt across town.

* * *

><p>~<span>At the Academy<span>~

Naruto and his team climbed the stairs to the second floor and found the same sight Naruto saw three years earlier. Kotetsu and Izumo stood in front of a door marked as room 302, blocking the path of anyone trying to enter the room. Smirking at how many were falling victim to the simple trick, Naruto turned to his teammates and spoke.

"Come on guys let's keep going." But then Yakedo protested.

"But Naruto-san, that's room 302. Isn't that where we are supposed to go?"

"Yeah room 302, but that is room 202. There is a genjutsu on the door."

"Oh, should we tell the others?"

"Nah this is basically a pre-test. But it is close to the time for the test, let's go." As the three began climbing the stairs to the third floor, Kotetsu called out.

"Hey you three where do you think you are going? The test is in here." Without turning Naruto called out.

"Kotetsu, Izumo, you guys need to get some new tricks."

"Wha- who are you?" The blonde turned and smirked at the chunin. The two gasped at the sight. "Naruto, is that you?"

"Yeah, now I'm headed upstairs to the test." Raising his voice so everyone could hear. "And the rest of you should too, seeing as you've all been standing around on the second floor." Earning stares and curses from everyone there. Sighing the two chunin both made the sheep hand seal, and in a puff of smoke reappeared in their normal appearance and the door now read 202. Virtually everyone groaned and soon followed Naruto and his team up the stairs to the third floor.

* * *

><p>~<span>Outside the Exam Room<span>~

Naruto and his team walked up to the door to room 302, before opening the door the blonde turned to his team. "Alright guys, before we go in there I'm gonna give you a heads up on this test. The secret is not to figure the answer out on your own. There are several chunin hidden within the group, if you can figure out who they are, and can get away with it, cheat off of them."

"But isn't cheating wrong?" Yakedo stared at the blonde.

"Normally it is, but this test isn't about knowing the information it's about collecting the information. Now they are going to be watching, and if you get caught not only, will you be thrown out, but so will the rest of our team. So like I said, if you don't feel comfortable getting this done just ignore questions one through nine, and do as I do on the final question. Ready?"

"Hai!" With a nod, Naruto turned and lead his team into the exam hall.

~One Hour Later~

Naruto blinked his eyes awake as he heard Ibiki calling for the tenth question. Sitting up Naruto watched as the same old thing happens. Ibiki explained everything and at least one genin stood up and argued. But soon the scarred jonin asked the all-important question.

"Alright, are you willing to take the final question?" After some time around five teams walked out of the room. Kogoe and Yakedo stared at Naruto and saw the blonde sitting comfortably in his chair, trusting their teammate, the pair sat back and waited. After a few moments the jonin showed a small smile. "Congratulations, you have all passed the first exam." The entire class sweat-dropped as the proctor explained the purpose of the final question. Without warning the window closest to the front of the room shattered out and a massive ball of black fabric flew into the room. Several of the candidates jumped, while Naruto sighed as Anko Mitarashi made her trademark entrance.

"Hello everyone! My name is Ank-"

"Anko, you're early. Again." Ibiki dead-panned the purple-haired kunoichi. As she heard the man, she turned to him with a scowl, before turning back to the class and unintentionally looked directly at Naruto.

"Shut up Ibiki! Now as I said my name is Ank- Gaki? Is that you?" Her eyes roamed all over his body and she was becoming turned on. But then she locked eyes with the blonde, she starred into the two frozen glaciers and her mind could only think of one other person with eyes like that; her old sensei Orochimaru. and to be completely honest, it scared her deeply. Quickly she looked away and stammered through a half-assed rendition of her usual speech and ended it with quick instructions to meet at Training Ground #44. Anko quickly grabbed Ibiki's arm and pulled him out the side door of the room. He turned to her.

"Anko, what is wrong with you? You're white as a sheet. What happened?"

Anko didn't hear the man instead she continued to stare at the floor shaking. "Those eyes. Those were not the eyes of the gaki I knew."

"What are you talking about Anko." The woman looked up at her long-time friend and comrade, and he saw in her eyes something he had never seen; **Fear**.

"Ibiki, his eyes were not Naruto's."

"What do you mean?"

"That kid's eyes were always bright and filled with happiness. The eyes I looked into were cold and dark. I have only seen eyes like that once before." Ibiki thought back to Anko's past for someone who would have eyes like that. His own eyes grew wide when he realized who she was thinking of; Orochimaru.

Ibiki lead Anko down to one of shinobi psychology, fearing for his friend.

* * *

><p>~<span>At Training Ground #44<span>~

Naruto's team and the rest of the genin approached the fence surrounding the Forest of Death. To their surprise Genma Shiranui stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Alright everyone gather round. My name is Genma Shiranui, and due to Anko falling ill, I will be the proctor for both the second and third stages of the Exams." Everyone gathered near to Genma as he explained the rules of the second exam. After he finished the teams proceeded in order into the tent to sign their wavers and receive their scrolls.

"Alright everyone proceed to your designated gate and wait for the buzzer. Good luck, I'll see the survivors on the other side." With a nod he shunshined away and the teams all made their way to the many gates in the fence. A few minutes later a loud buzzer sounded over the forest and as the birds scattered the gates slid open and the second exam has begun.

* * *

><p><strong>~AN~**

**Hey guys, I am sorry for the delay with this chapter, the site has been giving me some issues. And this chapter was short, sorry for that, it was only here to get the first exam out of the way and to show the real Naruto. Hope you guys liked it. As always Please Review.**


	5. Lockhart

**A/N- Hey there readers! Sorry for the delay on this chapter but I hope you guys enjoy. Now don't hate me but this is another groundwork chapter with a bit of action. As always please Read and Review.**

* * *

><p>~<span>Lockhart<span>~

Ino Yamanaka sat on her couch staring at her television, though the thing is; the TV wasn't on. For the last month Ino would sit like this for hours, her mind and heart in turmoil over her choices. She was freed from her trance by a knocking at her door. Opening the door she found an ANBU standing there.

"Yes?"

"Miss Yamanaka, the Hokage has requested your presence immediately."

"Understood." With a nod the ANBU vanished and Ino slid her feet into her sandals and left her apartment. Leaping quickly across the village she arrived at the Hokage tower and headed upstairs. After waiting a few minutes she was ushered inside of the office.

"You called for me Hokage-sama?"

"Yes Ino, I called you here to inform you that I am reactivating Operation Lockhart."

"Why Hokage-sama? Lockhart ended years ago."

"I know, but new information has revealed that Lockhart may have failed. You have five days to get your affairs in order before the mission begins. As before the details of this mission are an S-Class secret. No one may know of your objective. Understood?"

"Hai!" With a bow Ino exited the office with one thought running through her mind. _'What would make them think that__ Lockhart could fail?' _Pushing the thought aside the blonde headed into the village to deal with the preparations for Lockhart.

* * *

><p>~<span>With Team Naruto<span>~

Naruto lead his two teammates through the forest of death, the first day of the exam saw the trio left to themselves. Day two they encountered a team from Iwa, Kumo, and two teams from Kusa. None of which held the earth scroll the team needed. Now halfway through the third day, the team was leaping from branch to branch when Naruto signaled for them to stop. Landing together the team looked down into a clearing where they saw a team from Kumo, bound on their knees as three hooded figures stood behind them with blades at their throats. A fourth man with black hair dressed in Oto garb, paced back and forth in front of the three genin. When he turned Naruto's throat tightened up, there was no mistaking those eyes.

Feeling him tense up Kogoe looked at the blonde. "Are you ok Naruto-kun?"

"No Kogoe-chan, I'm not. That man down there is bad news."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Sasuke Uchiha, he is a missing-nin from Konoha and is a former member of my team."

"Why is he here?"

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. Can I count on you two to take care of the three in the hoods?"

Kogoe and Yakedo looked at each other and nodded "Hai!" With a nod Naruto vanished using pure speed appearing behind Sasuke. Yakedo flashed through a series of hand signs ending on the tiger seal.

"_ Moukaton: Kazansei Rans no Jutsu!_ (Inferno Style: Volcanic Columns Jutsu)" Three magic circles appeared below the three hooded figures as quickly they were surrounded by columns of swirling fire. Seeing his allies being attacked, Sasuke spun around and ducked under a haymaker from Naruto. The blonde back-flipped away dodging a slash from Sasuke's katana. As Naruto landed the Uchiha began laughing.

"Well hello there Naruto, I was hoping to run into you. But I thought it would be harder than this. What with your watchers and all."

Naruto regarded his old teammate with a despondent expression, which caught Sasuke off guard. The raven haired man was expecting the blonde to be scowling at him and shouting about coming back to Konha.

"Uchiha-san, I'm not sure what watchers you are speaking about. But you will regret coming here." Naruto locked eyes with Sasuke and the Uchiha actually took a step back.

_'Those eyes! Not even Niisan eyes were so cold. What happened to him?'_

Seeing Sasuke was unprepared, Naruto began flashing through hand signs before shouting.

"_Fūton: Reppūshō Kougeki!_ (Wind Style: Gale Palm Assault)" The blonde began throwing palm shots at high speed, launching powerful gusts of wind. Sasuke finally recovered from the effect of Naruto's eyes, just in time for his Sharingan to pick up on the gusts of wind rushing towards him. Channeling chakra to his feet, Sasuke leapt into the air. Naruto leapt at the Uchiha with a kunai in hand, Sasuke blocked the kunai with one of his own. Disengaging, Naruto back flipped away. While he was in the air Sasuke flashed through hand signs and the clearing was filled with the sound of a thousand birds.

Kogoe turned when she heard the birds and saw Naruto had his back to the enemy and was about to be attacked. Not thinking she leapt using chakra. Naruto landed and looked up to see Kogoe appear in front of him. Before he could say anything, Naruto saw Sasuke's lightning covered hand pierce her chest. Time seemed to stop as something in Naruto snapped.

* * *

><p>~<span>Inside Naruto's Mindscape<span>~

_'No! No! No! I didn't train this hard and become this strong to see another ally fall! But what can I do?!'_

**_'Ku ku ku! You know what you can do, Naruto. Use my power. Cut loose and tear him apart.'_**

_'I won't use your power you damn kitsune!'_

**_'Why not Naruto? That sad little Uchiha was powerless the last time.'_**

_'I DON'T CARE! I trained for this! If I wanted to rely on you, I wouldn't have bothered training.'_

**_'Damn It Naruto! I'm tired of trying to get you to come along willingly!' _**The Kyuubi roared and broke through the gate without any resistance. Naruto watched scared out of his mind.

_'What the hell? How'd you break the seal?'_

**_'Ku ku ku. I've always been able to break this silly little seal. I only chose not to in hopes that we could work together. But I've grown tired of your stubborn attitude.'_**

_'No! I won't let you!'_

**_'Oh really? You won't 'let' me? What can you do? You look like you're going to wet yourself.'_**

For whatever reason the fox's taunting really pissed Naruto off. _'I'll tell you what I can do you, son-of-a-bitch!' _Rising to his feet, Naruto walked over to the Kyuubi. The fox watched with an air of amusement. Locking the fox in the eyes, Naruto reached out and grabbed hold of one it's tails and yanked on it. To the fox's surprise he went flying back into his cage. _'I'm done playing defense with you! This time I'm taking over!'_

Amazed at what he just saw, the Kyuubi tried to keep things from falling apart. **_'Naruto, please we can talk about this?'_**

_'No you listen! Do you know why you've always been sealed inside a member of my clan? It's because we have a secret ability that will allow us to seal you away permanently. The only reason no one used it was because they thought they could bond with you and be your partner. I don't want to be partners, I want you out of my life!' _Naruto bit his left thumb and drew a line across his right eye, and then drew a crescent moon on the back of his right hand and on the palm. Flashing through a series of foreign hand signs, and his right hand became encased in red chakra as he shouted.

_'Uzumaki Hi-Jutsu: Ketteiteki Tamashii Funbo! (Uzumaki Hidden Jutsu: Final Soul Tomb) Now it's time for you to go away for good!' _

**_'No this chakra! It's just like the Six-Paths! Don't you dare touch me, Narutooooooo!' _**The Kyuubi screamed as Naruto rushed towards him. The blonde was treated to a sight no one had ever see; the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko, retreating back into his cage in fear.

'IT'S OVER, YOU FUCKING KITSUNE!' For all he tried the fox was unable to escape the blonde. Naruto leapt into the air and landed on the fox's chest. His right hand shot forward smacking down on the beast. Pulling it back it looks like he is pulling out the fox's chakra, but it wasn't chakra, it was the fox's soul. Leaping back the soul trailing from his hand, as he landed the soul began to be sucked into his hand. The fox screamed as his very being was absorbed, Naruto began to scream as the energy was absorbed into his body. After a time his screams turned to laughter...

* * *

><p>~<span>Real Time<span>~

Naruto right hand began to twitch and suddenly his hand shot up and latched over his right eye. He suddenly began screaming at the top of his lungs. His head shot back as his forearm was encased in red chakra. Sasuke pulled his hand out of Kogoe and leapt back. Looking over at the blonde he was confused as to what was happening. After a short time the chakra vanished and Naruto stopped screaming. Suddenly, a creepy raspy laugh filled the clearing, getting everyone's attention. Naruto brought his head back down level, and let out a deep exhale. Holding his hand in front of his face everyone watched as a tattoo appeared on his hand and forearm.

The tattoo began with two mirrored crescents with a slit pupil in the middle. After that had formed, a complex web of straight lines grew from the crescents and covered his hand and forearm. Without warning the blonde vanished, reappearing behind Sasuke. Sensing his presence, Sasuke spun around only to find Naruto wasn't there. As he turned back around Naruto's right hand grabbed hold of Sasuke's forehead. Confused, Sasuke felt his chakra disappearing bit by bit. Yanking Naruto's hand off him, the Uchiha leapt back and could see a portion of his chakra as it was absorbed into Naruto's hand and arm. After it was absorbed, the tattoo flashed a toxic purple color.

"Ugh! Your chakra tastes horrible." Naruto lamented before cracking his neck back and forth. Still not sure what just happened, Sasuke decided to end this fight quickly. Turning around and bolting up a nearby tree, flashing through hand signs. Ending on the tiger seal the Uchiha spun around before shouting.

"_Uchiha Hi-Jutsu: Teikoku Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_ (Uchiha Hidden Jutsu: Imperial Great Fireball Jutsu)" Using a two handed version of the hand form used for the standard Gōkakyū, Sasuke exhaled a massive fireball at Naruto. The blonde stood still and raised his right hand. Swinging his hand downward a wave of wind chakra launched out and slammed into the fireball, detonating the ball. Sasuke dropped down as the wind blew the smoke away.

The Uchiha watched with wide eyes as Naruto calmly walked through the smoke. Actually scared of what might happen, Sasuke flashed through hand seals and shouted.

"_Katon: Eien __Karyū Endan!_ (Fire Style: Eternal Fire Dragon Missile)" The Uchiha exhaled a massive stream of white fire at the blonde. Naruto didn't even flinch at the enhanced version of Konoha's most powerful fire jutsu. Lifting his right hand it became surrounded by red chakra. The stream of fire slammed into the blonde's palm and he just kept walking calmly towards Sasuke. After the fire dissipated the chakra around Naruto's hand changed into a set of claws. Not wanting to see what would happen if he was touched by them, Sasuke made to leave as quickly as possible. Before anyone could move a new voice split the air.

"Naruto-sensei! Kogoe-san isn't breathing! What should we do?" Naruto's head snapped to the side and he saw Yakedo kneeling next to Kogoe with a scared look on his face. While he was looking away Sasuke shunshined away and his allies followed. Naruto's eyes remained cold and unmoved for a moment and then he blinked and they returned to normal. Running over the blonde looked down at the massive puncture wound in Kogoe's chest. Not sure what to do at first, he reached out with his right hand. Placing it over the wound he prayed that he had taken enough chakra from the Uchiha. Using his left hand he formed a half tiger seal and began channeling chakra from his hand into Kogoe...

* * *

><p><strong>AN- There you guys go. Hope you liked it. What will happen now that Naruto has sealed away the Kyuubi? We'll see next time.**


	6. The Choice

**~(A/N)~Hello, hello, hello READERS! I am so happy to announce that I am finally able to post again and I am proud to present to you the newest chapter for Choices. Enjoy and as Always please R&R.**

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><p>~<span>The Choice<span>~

Naruto felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. But he couldn't deal with it right now, he had to focus on purifying the tainted chakra he had stolen from the Uchiha. He could feel as bit by bit, the stolen chakra was cleansed and channeled into the body of Kogoe. Slowly the hole in her chest began to heal, the hole was about 90% closed when the chakra flow stopped.

"Damn it! I didn't take enough. What to do what to do? My chakra won't do... Wait! Yakedo! Come here!" At his words the young leaf-nin rushed to the blonde's side. "Place your hand on top of mine, and channel your chakra into my hand and hang on." Following his instructions the young man did as he was told. Soon Naruto felt the chakra begin to flow again, as the chakra was untainted he was able to focus the flow. A few minutes later the hole in Kogoe's chest was completely healed, moving his hand away the blonde exhaled and promptly passed out on the ground. Looking around Yakedo found himself in a complex situation. His two teammates; Naruto and Kogoe were unconscious. And on top of that the three Kumo shinobi who were there were also out cold. Sighing the young shinobi set about taking care of the five unconscious people.

* * *

><p>~<span>Flashback Time<span>~

A single leaf floated down through the air and landed on the nose of Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, now 14 sat on the grass next to a pond with his back against a tree. He reached up to remove the leaf from his face, as he did so he felt the person that was leaning up against him shift in their sleep. This person was Ino Yamanaka, his girlfriend of about 4 months. The blonde girl blinked and looked up at her boyfriend.

"Everything ok Naru-kun?"

"Yeah Ino-chan, a leaf just fell on my face." Smiling down at his girlfriend the blonde girl sat up. Stretching her arms upward.

"Oh by the way Naru-kun, don't think I forgot your promise."

"Which promise was that?" Smirking the blonde girl punched him in the arm playfully.

"The one where you promised to play a song for me, I made my choice last night."

"Oh? and which song did you choose?"

"Boulevard."

"Well ok then." With a smile the blonde man reached around the side of the tree and produced an acoustic guitar and quickly began tuning it. Ino smiled as he got ready, she loved listening to him play and sing. She picked 'Boulevard' because it was one of his old songs and she had never heard it before. As he finished tuning the guitar, he smiled at his girlfriend and began strumming. After taking a breath he began to sing.

"_I walk a lonely road__  
>The only one that I have ever known<br>Don't know where it goes  
>But it's home to me and I walk alone<em>

_I walk this empty street  
>On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams<br>Where the city sleeps  
>And I'm the only one and I walk alone<em>

_I walk alone  
>I walk alone<br>I walk alone  
>I walk a...<em>"

Naruto's strumming began to grow in intensity and his singing grew louder.

"_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me__  
>My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating<br>Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
>'Til then I walk alone<em>

_Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah,  
>Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah<em>

_I'm walking down the line  
>That divides me somewhere in my mind<br>On the border line  
>Of the edge and where I walk alone<em>

_Read between the lines  
>What's fucked up and everything's alright<br>Check my vital signs  
>To know I'm still alive and I walk alone<em>

_I walk alone  
>I walk alone<br>I walk alone  
>I walk a...<em>"

His strumming had died down a little only for it to kick back up again.

"_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me__  
>My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating<br>Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
>'Til then I walk alone<em>"

Naruto suddenly stopped strumming but kept singing.

"_Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah__  
>Ah-ah, ah-ah<em>

_I walk alone  
>I walk a...<em>"

Just as suddenly as he had stopped strumming he began an impressive guitar solo. As the solo died down he began singing softly.

"_I walk this empty street__  
>On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams<br>Where the city sleeps  
>And I'm the only one and I walk a...<em>"

Without warning the song shot through the roof as he began singing very loudly.

"_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me__  
>My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating<br>Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
>'Til then I walk alone!...<em>"

As he finished singing he continued to strum for about thirty seconds and slowly the song tapered off. When he finished the clearing around the pond was filled with silence. Finally the young woman spoke.

"Naru-kun that was amazing. What was the song about? I think I know but I want you to tell me."

The blonde boy laughed. "I'm pretty sure you know it, you know me better than anyone. I wrote that song after my mission in wave. Remember how on that mission I met Haku and Zabuza, and found my ninja way?" Ino nodded. "Well when I returned to the village I was thinking who in the village I had like those two had each other. And at the time I realized I had no one, well except the kyuubi. So I wrote this song as kind of a way of expressing my loneliness. And on top of that, even if I did find a special someone, I am still alone in this world. No one else in the village has a demon sealed within them." Ino looked at her boyfriend and started to realize just how rough of a childhood he had had. Ino couldn't stand being away on missions for more than a week or she started to miss her friends and family. Naruto had been alone, without anyone there for him, for 13 years. The blonde girl couldn't imagine what it must have been like to find out you were alone because of something that happened when you were a baby. Hugging her boyfriend the girl spoke.

"Naru-kun I made another choice last night."

"Oh you did? and what was it Ino-chan?"

"I want us to try and have a baby."

* * *

><p>~Flashback Over~<p>

Naruto rolled over on the ground and slowly began to wake up. Sitting up he yawned and looked down to see his right hand and forearm were wrapped in bandages. Looking around he could see Kogoe lying next to him asleep. Across the room the three Kumo shinobi were still bound, but asleep. Looking towards the only source of light, Naruto then realized he was inside of a cave. He then saw the last member of his team crouching by the entrance. Standing up he walked over to the young shinobi. Speaking softly.

"Hey Yakedo."

The young man jumped a little. "Oh Naruto-sensei it's you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, I heal really quickly. So what's the situation?"

The young leaf-nin snapped into mission mode. "Ok so it's been about 36 hours since you passed out. Neither Kogoe nor the Kumo-nin have yet to wake up."

"36 hours, so that means we have about 12 hours to finish the exam. Hmmm well I think it's time to wake our guests up."

"I tried Naruto-sensei, but they won't. I think they might be under some sort of genjutsu."

"Well let's see." The blonde walked over to the three. Looking down he could already sense their chakras were completely out of whack, proving Yakedo's theory to be correct. Quickly dispelling the illusions, Naruto watched as the three woke up. The first two were dressed in traditional Kumo garb and had no distinguishable features. It was the third member that caught Naruto's attention.

As the third member sat up Naruto was able to see they were a woman, slightly older than Naruto, with a very mature figure and fair skin. Her hair was jet black, cut short near her face but hanging to her waist in the back. She had on a shade of fairly intense blue lipstick and her eyes were a piercing orange color, which reminded Naruto of his old jumpsuit. But despite all those features, it was her attire that drew his attention.

She wore a white top with blue trim, and a blue wave motif near the bottom hem, that only barely covered her ample bust. And while it clung tightly to said bust, it seemed to hang loosely around her midsection. She also wore a pair of white leggings with a blue waistband, but they did not have the left leg exposing her thigh. Over this she wore a blue sash with her Hitai-ate plate affixed to the middle. On her shoulders she wore a teal mantle with a blue wave motif covering the arms and back of the mantle. Her right forearm was covered by fishnet and her hand was adorned with two silver rings, one on her ring finger and one on the pinky. Her left hand and forearm were covered by a blue fingerless glove. The glove came to just below the elbow and ended with a slight flame appearance over a brown cuff. The back of the glove was cut away and crossed by laces, to reveal her hand and forearm. Her feet were covered by a pair of knee-high riding boots with the same styling as her glove, only the boots were brown with a blue cuff. Again the front of the boots were cut away and crossed with laces to expose even more skin. As the raven haired woman sat up she locked eyes with Naruto and the pheromones that she was giving off began to permeate the cave.

Naruto's eyes wavered for no more than a split second and then they froze over and he stared this woman down. She was unprepared for his reaction and didn't know how to react. The blonde spoke.

"Ok so here's what's about to happen. Once we leave, we will be taking one of your Earth scrolls. Yes we searched you and found them. Depending on your choices after we leave, you will either find a Heaven scroll, or you'll have to face me in combat."

The three Kumo-nin looked at each other and nodded. With a nod, Naruto walked over and picked Kogoe up and moved to the entrance of the cave. He spoke to Yakedo who performed the sheep seal and then the pair vanished.

* * *

><p>~11 Hours Later~<p>

Naruto, Yakedo, and a recovering Kogoe, stood alongside of the team from Kumo they had rescued, a team from Iwa, a second team from Konoha, and two teams from Suna. Tsunade surveyed the remaining candidates, many looked promising Naruto and his team being members of that group. Smiling she spoke.

"Congratulations, you eighteen are the survivors of the second exam. Now from here on out, the exam is now solo event. So if any of you wish to withdraw, you may do so now and your teammates will be allowed to proceed." After a few moments of silence, hands began to rise. In the end six candidates had withdrawn, leaving Naruto, Yakedo, Kogoe, all three members of the rescued Kumo team, one from the Iwa team, two from the other Konoha team, and three from the two Suna teams.

"Alright then, you twelve will be the ones participating in the final tournament held one month from now. Will each of you please come forward and draw a number. Please bring this card with you to the final tournament, they will serve to order the matches they also serve as your proof of entrance into the tournament. Everyone understand?"

"Hai Hokage-sama!" The group responded in unison.

"Very good, now before you go I have one more announcement to make. At the request of the Raikage and his brother, each of you will be required to bring one piece of music that you wish to be played before your match. Thank you and I look forward to seeing each of you in one month." Following that the teams left. Naruto and Yakedo escorted Kogoe to the hospital before heading home to prepare for the month ahead.

* * *

><p><strong>~(AN)~ And there you have it! The second exam is over and we've seen a big moment in Naruto and Ino's past. I apologize for taking so long and i can promise that my posting will pick up again.**


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